Separable wipes dispenser

ABSTRACT

A tubular floor stand wipes dispenser is disclosed in which wipes connected to each other are withdrawn through a hole in a first shelf at an acute angle to the shelf. The leading wipe engages an edge of the shelf around the hole as it is being withdrawn from the dispenser, thereby stressing and breaking the connection of the leading wipe to the next wipe. A user is required to withdraw the leading wipe in this manner by the outer edge of a second shelf disposed above and partially over the hole in the first shelf. A gel dispenser may be arranged on the stand above the second shelf to protect wipes issuing from the hole from any dripping gel. An arrowhead shaped opening on the front of the stand directs disposal of used wipes into a waste container within the stand.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to columnar floor stands which dispenseindividual hand wipes from a supply roll, and invite a user to disposeof them in a compartment just below the roll. More particularly, itrelates to a columnar stand which requires a person reaching for a wipeto withdraw it against the edge of a dispensing passage which stressesand breaks the selected wipe's connection to the supply roll.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various floor stand dispensers are illustrated in the prior art. One,for example, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,561,837, namely, a stand havinga body portion containing an upper compartment from which wipes aredispensed through an orifice in the lid and a lower compartment housinga container such as a wastebasket for used wipes. Another is shown inpre-grant publication No. 2006/0289558 A1 which illustrates a stand witha hinged lid giving access to an upper compartment where dispenserpackages of wipes are inserted, and a hinged door on the front of alower compartment for servicing a wastebasket stored there. The usedwipes are deposited in the wastebasket through an inlet opening in thedoor. Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,157 directed to alitter container which is a box with a hinged lid mounted on a standstraddling a transmission hump in an automobile. The lid includes anupper compartment for wipes and a dispensing outlet in the top panel ofthe lid. The lower portion of the box is a collector for used wipes orother materials. U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,383 discloses a base platevertically mounted on a door panel and supporting both an uppercompartment for dispensing wipes and a lower open-ended pocket foraccepting used wipes.

These patents illustrate the efforts of inventors to handle situationswhere wipes dispensers distribute wipes which are often connected toeach other in a supply roll. The dispensers disburse the wipes from astorage compartment inside the dispenser adjacent an orifice in a panelof the dispenser. There they are individually made available to a userwho simply pulls on the first wipe protruding from the orifice. Howeverthe wipes still on the roll in the storage compartment have littleresistance to being pulled out along with the initial wipe, a situationknown as “roping,” and thus a user must find some way of separating thewipe he . selected from those that follow. Normally that separationrequires a user to use two hands, and even then some of the connectedwipes may be withdrawn from the orifice before the initial wipe issuccessfully separated.

It is an object of this invention to provide a design of a hand wipesdispenser which severs an individual hand wipe from a supply roll when auser withdraws the wipe from the dispenser.

It is another object of this invention to provide a design of a handwipes dispenser which resists hand wipes which are serially connected ina supply roll from being withdrawn from the dispenser in a string andstill connected to the following wipes in the roll.

It is another object of this invention to provide a design of a handwipes dispenser which places a hand gel dispenser adjacent to a portalfrom which wipes are dispensed but protects the portal from excess gelescaping from the gel dispenser.

It is another object of this invention to provide a design of a handwipes dispenser which positively directs disposal of used wipes into alower compartment of the wipes dispenser.

It is another object of this invention to provide a design of a handwipes dispenser which provides for a wipes dispenser from an upper end,and a weighted, stabilizing end opposite the wipes dispenser end whichstabilizes tower-tipping forces on the upper end of the dispenser.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent afterreading the description of the invention which follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a tubular floor stand wipes dispenser in which wipesconnected to each other in a supply compartment within the dispenser arewithdrawn from the dispenser through a hole in a first shelf at the topof the supply compartment at an acute angle to the shelf The acute anglebrings a leading wipe against an edge of the shelf around the hole,thereby stressing and breaking the connection of the wipe to the nextwipe in the compartment. A user is required to withdraw the leading wipein this manner by an edge of a second shelf which is spaced apart fromthe first shelf disposed above and partially over the hole in the firstshelf A gel dispenser may be arranged on the stand above the secondshelf, and that shelf protects the wipes issuing from the hole in thefirst shelf from gel which might drip from the gel dispenser. Anarrowhead shaped opening on the front of the stand spaced well apartfrom the gel dispenser directs a person who has used a wipe to depositit into a waste container in a second compartment within the stand belowthe compartment where the wipes are stored.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled floor stand wipes dispenserembodying this invention and illustrating the disposition of a firstshelf with a dispensing hole through which wipes are drawn located belowa smaller second shelf partially overlying the dispensing hole;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the shelves and body of the wipesdispenser in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a broken away portion of the wipes dispenser in FIG. 1illustrating a frontal perspective view of a gel dispenser located abovethe smaller second shelf of the wipes dispenser;

FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the portion of the wipes dispenserand associated gel dispenser shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a top plan view of the portion of the wipes dispenser andassociated gel dispenser shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. 3B forthe gel dispenser;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the clip which engages the gel dispensermounting bracket shown in FIGS. 3B and 4A to the body of the wipesdispenser above the smaller second shelf shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the wipesdispenser shown in

FIG. 1 which does not include the gel dispenser; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the wipesdispenser shown in FIG. 1 which incorporates a stabilizing base plate onthe lower end of the wipe dispenser's body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A floor stand wipes dispenser which embodies the present invention isshown in FIG. 1. The dispenser's shroud 10 includes a body section 12and a head section 14. A first shelf 16 inside the shroud separates thebody section of the shroud from the head section. The first shelf alsoincludes a passageway 18 from the body section to the head sectionthrough which a wipe 20 and wipes from a supply which follow wipe 20 maybe withdrawn into the head section. A second shelf 22, which includes aprotective gasket 22 a on its front edge, is located in the head section14 spaced apart from the first shelf and partially overlying passageway18 so that a wipes user who pulls wipe 20 out of the dispenser cannotpull it straight up. He is required by the location and size of thesecond shelf to pull wipe 20 out at an acute angle to the first shelf.Preferably the head section 14 is angularly truncated, with its loweredges at the front of the shroud, in order to provide easy access towipe 20 and allow a person reaching for wipe 20 to pull it out ofpassageway 18 in a direction which avoids the second shelf.

Hand gel dispenser 24 is situated on the head section 14 of the shroudabove second shelf 22. Preferably the gel dispenser is attached to theshroud with a linkage member 26 conformed to the back of the geldispenser and a clip 26 a holding the linkage member 26 onto the shroud.The linkage member 26 and clip 26 a hold the gel dispenser over thesecond shelf. When the gel dispenser is activated by a valve operatorsuch as arm 24 a, the second shelf prevents liquid from the geldispenser from falling on a wipe which is poised in the passageway 18.

The body section 12 of shroud 10 is comprised of first and second sidemembers 28 and 30 which are connected to each other by a yoke 32,thereby forming columnar recess inside the side members and the yoke. Ahinge 34 is provided along an edge of the first side member, and a door36 mounted on the hinge, so that the columnar recess is enclosed whenthe door 36 is shut. Additional shelves 38 a and 38 b may be disposedwithin the columnar recess, thereby dividing the recess into more thanone compartment.

The door 36 includes an aperture 40 through the door which is shaped todirect attention toward a compartment in the recess below the firstshelf where a waste receptacle can be placed. When aperture 40 is shapedlike an arrowhead or downwardly pointing triangle, or similardirectional pointing configuration, a wipes user's attention is drawn toa portal where the wipe he has just recently drawn from the dispenserand used may be thrown away.

Forming the wipes dispenser of this invention as a somewhat tall unitcan mean that it might be tipped by an enthusiastic user when he pulls awipe from the passageway 18, or by someone else as he walks by andbrushes the dispenser. In order to combat these situations, astabilizing pedestal 42 may be engaged on a lower end of the sidemembers 28 and 30 and yoke 32 opposite the head section 14 and firstshelf 16. Pedestal 42 may be a somewhat heavy weight and may, asillustrated in FIG. 6, extend outside the side members and the yoke toprovide a larger footing for the dispenser.

In use, a container 44 holding a supply of wipes connected to each othermay be set on shelf 38 a inside the columnar recess in shroud 10, andthe leading wipe 20 in the supply positioned up through passageway 18 inshelf 16. Also, a waste receptacle 46 may be placed on shelf 38 b. Thendoor 36 is closed. When a user wishes to obtain a wipe, in order tograsp wipe 20 he will be directed by the configuration of shroud 10 tothe lower side of the truncated head section 14, and at that pointextend his hand below second shelf 22. As he grasps and then pulls onwipe 20, he cannot pull it straight up due to the location of shelf 22over the passageway 18. That location requires that he pull the wipe atan acute angle to shelf 16, whereupon wipe 20 will more firmly engage anedge of shelf 16 around the passageway and stress wipe 20's connectionto the next wipe from the supply. The strain usually breaks wipe 20'sconnection to the following wipe in an uneven manner along theconnection and leaves a portion of the following wipe protruding fromthe passageway.

As previously noted, the shelves inside the shroud's columnar recess maybe arranged to provide variously sized compartments inside the columnarrecess. If only a smaller waste receptacle is needed, shelf 38 b may bepositioned so that a separate compartment can be located beneath shelf38 b. If desired, however, shelf 38 b may be eliminated and a largerwaste receptacle used. Normally, when shelf 38 b is used, a base shelf48 is provided to close the bottom end of shroud 10, which also resultsin forming an additional compartment for storing supplies such asfurther rolls of wipes.

Various modifications of this invention can be made without departingfrom its true spirit and scope. Accordingly, no limitation is intendedby the foregoing description, and the full breadth of the invention isintended to be covered in the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A floor stand for dispensing wipes comprising a shroudmember having a head section and a body section, a first shelf in theshroud member separating the head section from the body section andincluding a passageway for wipes attached together in a string locatedin the body section to be drawn into the head section, and a secondshelf disposed in the head section spaced apart from the first shelf ina location requiring withdrawal of the wipes from the passageway at anacute angle to the first shelf and directing each leading wipe in thestring during withdrawal against an edge of the first shelf at thepassageway to stress and break the wipe from the string.
 2. (canceled)3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled)
 5. The floor stand of claim 1 in which thehead section above the first shelf is angularly truncated.
 6. A floorstand for dispensing hand wipes comprising a shroud member having a bodysection and a head section, the body section including first and secondside members, a yoke connected to the side members forming a columnarrecess inside the side members and the yoke, a hinge on an edge of thefirst side member, a door mounted on the hinge enclosing the columnarrecess, a first shelf inside the columnar recess arranged to hold asupply of hand wipes attached together in a string adjacent the headsection, and a second shelf disposed in the head section spaced apartfrom the first shelf in a location directing each leading wipe in thestring during its withdrawal from the head section against an element inthe head section to stress and break the wipe from the string. 7.(canceled)
 8. The floor stand of claim 6 in which the door includes anaperture communicating with the columnar recess and shaped to directattention toward a compartment for disposing used wipes inside thecolumnar recess.
 9. (canceled)
 10. The floor stand of claim 6 whichincludes a pedestal engaging an end of the side members and the yokeopposite the head section arranged to hold the stand upright.
 11. Thefloor stand of claim 10 in which the pedestal is a horizontally disposedplate extending beyond the sides of the shroud member.
 12. (canceled)13. A floor stand for dispensing wipes comprising a shroud member havinga head section and a body section, a first shelf in the shroud memberseparating the head section from the body section and including apassageway for wipes located in the body section to be drawn into thehead section, a second shelf disposed in the head section partiallyoverlying the passageway spaced apart from the first shelf in a locationrequiring withdrawal of the wipes from the passageway at an acute angleto the first shelf, and a hand gel dispenser engaged to the shroud by alinkage holding the dispenser over the second shelf.
 14. A floor standfor dispensing wipes comprising a shroud member having a head sectionand a body section, a first shelf in the shroud member separating thehead section from the body section and including a passageway for aleading wipe and further wipes attached together in a string of wipeslocated in the body section to be successively drawn into the headsection, and a second shelf disposed in the head section sufficientlyproximate to the first shelf to require a prospective wipe user towithdraw the leading wipe from the passageway at an acute angle to thefirst shelf and against an edge of the first shelf at the passageway tostress and break the leading wipe from the string of wipes.